Legislator
Kathryn Lance, a second-year lawmaker whose district includes
commercial and industrial areas off Niagara Falls Boulevard, will be
tapped to chair the Niagara County Legislature's economic
development committee, Majority Leader Rick Updegrove, R-Lockport,
announced Monday.

Updegrove
made the announcement after conferring with Lance, R-Wheatfield,
Legislature Chairman William L. Ross, C-Wheatfield, and Commissioner
of Economic Development Sam Ferraro. The announcement also ends
Updegrove's tenure as chairman of the economic development
committee.

"Legislator
Lance is the best choice for this critical responsibility,"
Updegrove stated. "She has served with distinction as a member of
this committee, and in that time she has been a leading voice on
efforts like the county's commitment to protecting the Niagara
Falls Air Reserve Station and expanding our Empower Niagara program
to create good jobs here in Western New York. I'm proud of what we
accomplished at the economic development committee while I served
there, but I'm equally proud to entrust this responsibility to
someone as capable and committed as Kathryn Lance."

Lance,
who is a reading instructor in the Buffalo Public Schools system,
represents residents of southern Wheatfield and northwest North
Tonawanda in county government. A mother of two, she and her husband,
Roger, live in Wheatfield.

Following
her 2011 election to the Niagara County Legislature, Lance was
appointed to the economic development, administration and community
services committees. Within days of being sworn in as a legislator,
Lance introduced the first of several resolutions that sought to
protect the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station from federal defense
cuts. Lance also worked closely with Ferraro and economic development
personnel when they prepared a detailed study that concluded the
Niagara Falls air base had a $200 million annual impact on Western
New York.

"I
intend to continue the successful strategies Niagara County has
employed in recent years, including a diligent Canadian marketing
campaign, strong efforts directed at protecting and restoring our
environment, aggressive marketing of the Niagara Falls International
Airport, and ongoing efforts to protect the Niagara Falls air base,"
Lance said after being tapped by Updegrove. "I also fully
anticipate continuing to rely on Niagara County's plentiful
hydropower as a tool to draw businesses to our area. The Empower
Niagara program has retained or created more than 550 jobs to date,
and generated $18 million in private investment in Niagara County. It
is a critical part of our economic development strategy."

Lance
received a detailed briefing from Ferraro about existing programs and
initiatives launched by the Niagara County Center for Economic
Development as well as ongoing job-creating initiatives of the
Niagara County Industrial Development Agency, which works closely
with the Center for Economic Development in crafting economic policy.

"Job
creation must remain the top economic development priority of Niagara
County," Lance said. "To be clear: Jobs are not created by
government, but government can adopt policies that create an
environment that is conducive to business expansion and job creation.
That is what we have done, and that is what we will continue to do."

Lance
pointed to the Center for Economic Development's "Niagara County
Business Growth and Retention Program" as an example of government
fostering a pro-growth, pro-job creation climate. Every year, the
Center for Economic Development contacts approximately 60 businesses
to evaluate their long-term needs and factors affecting their
business models.

"Private-sector
job creation is the best long-term strategy for Niagara County, but
government must listen to what our businesses are saying and work
with our job creators," Lance said. "I have already directed
Commissioner Ferraro to continue with the business growth and
retention program for 2013, and am pleased with the progress this
initiative has shown."

Lance
noted that her district was, in particular, affected by economic
development policy.

"Unlike
the majority of my colleagues, I have no 'Main Street' in my
district, but I do have a long stretch of Niagara Falls Boulevard,
and the Niagara Falls International Airport is immediately adjacent,"
Lance said. "Our economic development policy - and its results -
are plainly visible to me every day, but the policies of this
government have the potential to impact, positively or negatively,
every single business in our county. It will be my goal as chairwoman
of this committee to foster economic growth in every corner of our
county, from downtown Niagara Falls to the village of Barker."

Updegrove
also nominated legislators Wm. Keith McNall (R-Lockport), Chereé J.
Copelin (R-LaSalle) and Dave Godfrey (R-Wilson) to serve on the
economic development committee. Additional committee appointments
will be announced later this week.